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Monday, February 18, 2013

My new polymer clay tutorial, Faux Leather Bracelets, is ready and can be found both on my site and in my Etsy shop. On my site, I also offer brass bracelet blanks and vintage glass cabochons. Both of these materials are optional for this tutorial. As I explain in my step-by-step instructions, the bracelets may be formed with and without the bracelet blanks, and I offer plenty of examples of both designs. I also explain in the tutorial how to substitute glass cabochons with polymer clay details.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Faux Cloisonne is by far my most favorite technique, because it allows the most variation in design. The latest examples of what can be done with this technique were sent to me yesterday by Stephanie Michaud, and they are simply breathtaking.

Stephanie is an equine artist, and her web site (http://www.studiomichaud.net/) has beautiful examples of her realistically-painted resin sculptures, with which she has been working for many years.

Stephanie wrote to me that she is now looking for new artistic ways to have more fun with her work. The pieces you see here are her first ones made following my Faux Cloisonne tutorial. I am so impressed by her results!

Now, get this: Stephanie listed all four of these pieces on Etsy yesterday, and all four were sold right away. And did I mention that she had actually opened her Etsy shop the same day as well? Amazing, isn't it? I am so happy for her!

This last plaque is my favorite so far. I cannot wait to see more of Stephanie's works. She is planning to practice with my Crackled Metal Leaf Tutorial and promises to send pictures of her results.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

"Eugena! I am soooooo excited. I made beads with your tutorial this evening! I am NOT an artist...but look what you've taught me to make......I can't thank you enough for such clear instructions, that someone like me can follow!"

I have to admit, this e-mail just made my day! I love seeing the pieces that my customers (my students?) make based on my tutorials. This is my ultimate reward. As a teacher, I am always thrilled to see how my ideas are used by other people. Another thing is when I teach a class in person, I see people's reaction right away. I can tell based on their reaction, which part of my explanations was clear, which one was not. With tutorials, I can only hope that I made every bit of my instructions clear enough for other people to follow, but I often do not really know if that is true or not... That is why a feedback from someone who followed a tutorial is so important to me.

Christine, thank you so much for sharing the pictures of your work and for your kind words. I love how your beads turned out, and the bracelets you made with them are stunning.